Hi, Pastor Bob here. Welcome back to the Men of Valor and the Daily Living podcast. The verse for today is from the book of John, chapter 8 verse 32. And it states, “...Jesus said, ‘If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

"I pray this message becomes a ‘come to meet Jesus’ reality..."

There's a saying I hear when I travel down south when a person’s gonna have a very serious conversation with someone. They say, ‘That someone is going to have a,’ quote, ‘come to meet Jesus meeting,’ unquote, ‘this afternoon.’ What they mean is, ‘Somebody's gonna be confronted with the truth today and they're gonna have to make a big decision.’ I pray this message becomes a ‘come to meet Jesus’ reality for many people.

I am led to discuss the truth and dispel many of the lies we frequently hear regarding life after death. When a person, such as a rock star, known for heavy drug use and living just a completely ungodly life dies, a comment often heard at this funeral - and most funerals for that matter - is, ‘At least he's in a much better place now.’ Isn't it amazing how we can look at a life of sin and rationalize that there is no consequence for actions in life? We know that's not the way it is in our lifetime! So why do people speak like everything gets forgotten when somebody dies? Perhaps they want to voice a lie they hope that is true for them.

So let's take a look, and see what the Bible actually says about heaven and hell, and many false beliefs or comments that I've heard. Doesn’t it make sense that if heaven and hell discussions make you uncomfortable, you probably already know you aren't on the path to heaven. I mean, I honestly never got uncomfortable knowing I was gonna visit Hawaii or Costa Rica, but I was always uncomfortable every time I visited the cities of Newark, Camden, or some very rough areas in Mexico. And if you're thinking, ‘I really hate those fire and brimstone messages,’ there's probably a concern that you should really ask the Holy Spirit to show you why.

"So what does the Bible actually say the kingdom of heaven is like?"

Here are some comments I've often heard over the years. For the rock star and the wild partier, people say, ‘Aw man he's partying in hell with the rest of his buddies.’ I've heard people actually say, ‘I want to go to hell, that's where all the people who know how to have fun are at!’ Or, ‘I believe that everyone goes to heaven!’ - even though Jesus said very few enter the narrow gate of heaven. Or, ‘I believe that hell is actually our time on earth.’ An expression of excitement that I grew up with was, ‘Holy hell Bob, what are you doin’?’ - talk about an oxymoron!

Do you know sometimes hearing the word ‘hell’ is heard so often it doesn't even faze people anymore? I often hear people say, ‘Only bad people go to hell, like Hitler or Stalin. But I'm a pretty good person. I haven’t killed or raped anyone!’

Just a few questions if you think you're pretty good: If I could show everyone you know all your thoughts and actions for the last year - thoughts you had even about them - would anyone come to the conclusion that you're a pretty good person? Would you even come to that conclusion and how embarrassed would you be when you see them again? And that's with knowing that everyone watching your video is as evil as you are! Imagine how you will feel when that video is reviewed by a pure, sinless spotless God on Judgment Day. Now that sounds like a real ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.

So what does the Bible actually say the kingdom of heaven is like? In Matthew 13, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in a field, but weeds also grow in the field. Jesus said at the Judgment Day, they will collect all the weeds, tie them in bundles and they'll be thrown into a blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That sure sounds like hell to me! But the wheat, the followers of Christ will be gathered into his barn - heaven. Now once again remember the video of your life. Jesus also said the kingdom of heaven’ll be like a net full of fish! The angels would come separate the wicked fish - the non-believers of Christ - from the righteous fish the disciples of Christ, and throw the wicked ones into a blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Once again, remember the video of your life.

Jesus also said in Matthew 13, the kingdom of heaven is like the man who found the hidden treasure in a field, hid it, and so joyful he sells everything he has to buy that field. He uses a similar example - when a man finds a pearl of great worth. Wow! What a treasure, what a pearl they found! That pearl, that treasure? The Lord Jesus Christ!

"...you will no longer fear hearing the truths about eternity that are in the Bible..."

In the Bible, a man named Nicodemus and another man a rich young ruler says to Jesus, ‘How do I get to eternal life in heaven with You?’ And Jesus’ answer was not, ‘Say a 30 second prayer, ask Me into your heart, and that's it! You can even cry when you say the prayer if you wish! But as Pastor once said, ‘I cry at movies,’ - so tears really don't prove much. In answering the eternity question, Jesus said, ‘If you won’t take up your cross and follow Me, you're not worthy of Me!’ And He said, ‘Get rid of the things you treasure most, and follow and obey Me, and you will have eternal life!’ So the true prayer of Lordship and Savior needs to produce a transformed life - not just spoken words and going on with your current lifestyle!

Truly, asking Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior is extremely vital for your salvation, but it's only a start! It's not the finish! If it was the finish Jesus would not have needed the Parable of the Sower of the Seed in Matthew 13. Obviously from this parable, only one of the four Gospel hearing groups fully achieve eternal salvation! Two of the three actually accepted the Word they heard and started to grow, but never completed the obedient walk of following Christ.

His ‘Great News’ Gospel is that He shows us in Romans 3 that every person is a sinner. He died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead and when we make Jesus Christ our Lord, by giving Him our entire life and obeying what He has commanded, as Matthew 28:19-20 states - we become righteous because of what He did, and not something we can learn by doing works to earn our way so we can boast about it. When you truly hear and understand this Gospel, you will no longer fear hearing the truths about eternity that are in the Bible - and you will also see how many lies are often spoken about the eternal place for you. What an amazing God we serve! God bless you all.